Increasingly popular, Lisbon is quite warm in summer, but November’s cooler temperatures and fewer crowds make it a pleasant time to visit. A city of hills and spectacular views, many terraces (miradouros) offer vistas for those who climb (or take a taxi) to the top. Alfama is the city’s historic district, defined by hilly, narrow cobblestone streets. The Fado Museum, in Alfama, honors Portugal’s soulful folk music and provides some background on the sounds heard nightly in the city’s fado houses and bars. Seafood is plentiful in Lisbon, and the traditional Portuguese dried salted cod (bacalhau) is on most menus along with octopus, shrimp, sardines, clams, and tuna.

It would help to know your starting location, but I’ll assume it’s the US or Canada because you didn’t say. My first thought for this is Argentina, which of course is in mid spring in late October. Buenos Aires is a wonderful city with great food and culture. You could also visit Mendoza, which is the lovely wine region, and Bariloche, which is a mountain resort area with year-round activities and such. Then there is always the amazing Iguazu Falls on the border with Brazil and Paraguay. It’s by far the most amazing waterfalls and area I’ve seen. Things are pretty cheap in Argentina these days for outsiders because of their weak currency. It’s also got very good outdoor activities in many different areas that should have nice weather in late October. It’s easier if you know Spanish, but still doable if you don’t. I don’t speak Spanish and I enjoyed it so much I stayed for a month. Let me know if you have something else in mind and I can try again. -Roger
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Thank you. If you are looking for an all-inclusive or large resort hotel on a beach, you can’t do any better than Punta Cana for value and facilities. You can also find really nice resorts in the general Cancun area, and the flight would probably be cheaper, but the nightly rate would be quite a bit more. Both have really nice beaches, although with Cancun you have to pay attention to the specific location because not every resort is on a wide stretch of sand.
If you are going for one week I wouldn’t go all the way to Thailand, but if it’s two weeks I think it’s worth it. It takes most of a day in each direction, but flights are often reasonably priced, and everything there is cheap once you get there. I’ve actually lived in Thailand for 6 months and have visited many more times and it’s actually very easy and stress free once you are there. All the important signs are in English and nearly everyone you’ll encounter as a tourist will speak enough English to help you as well. You can get around by train or VIP bus for cheap, or fly to the islands for cheap. It’s very safe there as well. You could spend a few days in Bangkok and then head to one of the islands or take a train up to Chiang Mai.
We’re a couple and are planning a 5/6 nights trip [around Christmas] from India to some place that is slightly reasonable and wonderful, of course! What we’ve been considering till now is Maldives or Cambodia or Thailand. Can you suggest anything around these or even completely different from these? The reason why we haven’t been able to finalize till now is that we’re trying to find a destination other than beaches, which isn’t as easy as it appeared!
Mexico’s spectacular Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead), bewitches Mexico City at the start of each November. Donning the skeleton face paint for the mass parades in the main Zócalo square is a must, but take time to step back from the party and seek out more intimate family celebrations where deceased loved ones are honoured with candles, sugar skulls and, of course, tequila. If you’d prefer to relax with a rum, then Barbados in November may be more to your tastes. The sugar-cane liquor is thought to have originated here in the 17th century and continues to be the local tipple of choice. Toasting the sunset from one of the island’s magnificent beaches is a quintessential experience.
Since you might be open to flying then another nearby option to consider is Siem Reap in Cambodia. It’s a pleasant tourist town on its own, but it only exists as the gateway to the amazing Angkor Wat temples nearby. Those temples are by far the most dramatic and memorable tourist attraction in southeast Asia, and I think your daughters are old enough to appreciate it all. But again, the town of Siem Reap is nice with plenty of other things to do, so it’s a great all around stop.
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If you are more interested in nature and adventure than culture, then the top choice would be Costa Rica. The country has many beautiful national parks and it’s filled with things like zip-lining and canopy tours, just to name a few things. There are also volcanoes and surfing beaches and much more, plus a very good backpacker infrastructure of cheaper hotels and hostels.

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If you are going to that region I suggest you visit a site called travelfish.org, which is by far the best website on SE Asia and it’s run by a friend of mine who lives in Bali. They have busy forums where you can ask questions and quickly get them answered by experts on every imaginable topic there. I’m happy to help more as you are planning, so let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger
Hotel prices remain low through all of November for the most part, so you'll have a good shot at deals at 3-star and above beach resorts that are trying to fill rooms during the slow season. Even if you are paying near the high season rates the hotels and everything else are bargains here compared to almost anywhere else. Cartagena is one of the cheapest places to travel in November on a beach, and you'll get less rain as the month goes on.
The second trip will be the second week of December from the 13th to the 19th. Also warm place with adventure and tourism. Im going with my best friend. I was thinking one of the islands of the Caribbean or Latin America ( since I can travel freely to most of them without the process of getting a visa) but I’m not sure which ones where not affected by Irma.
You may need to skip the cake, or at least limit your intake of sweets and carb-heavy vegetables. Know your body and do what makes you feel best. If you don’t think you will be able to get back on the Keto Diet comfortably after having a “cheat day” or “cheat vacation,” then perhaps it might be best to continue eating a strictly Keto-friendly diet.
If you didn’t want to go to Asia you could instead consider the ABC islands, which don’t get much rain and haven’t had a major storm in many decades. Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao are known for good snorkeling as well and you’d get good hotel rates that time of year. Two weeks might be a long time to spend on those islands though, so I would go to Asia if you can. Late November is a perfect time of year for a visit there, and you can even include a few days in Siem Reap to visit Ankor Wat. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger
As the year winds down the parties amp up, none more so than in Scotland’s capital, where Hogmanay celebrations see flaming torches, fireworks displays and night-long parties take over the usually quiet cobbled streets. Slightly more sedate, the Caribbean’s southernmost island Trinidad simmers with stirring Spanish-style musical performances as the locals usher in the start of the dry season.

By the way, Costa Rica is quite different from the popular countries of South America itself (Peru, Argentina, Brazil etc), so it’s a different experience and not much of an introduction. I think in 12 days you could have a great time in several areas of Costa Rica, and maybe also spend a few of those days in Panama or Nicaragua. As always, feel free to ask more questions if you have them. -Roger

If you're determined to travel during the holiday periods, though, book your vacation flights, hotels, and cruise far in advance. If it works with your schedule, fly on Thanksgiving Day or Christmas day; those are the least crowded days of the holiday season. And if at all possible, avoid traveling during weekends, on the days right before or after the holiday, and late in the day. It's not only crowded at airports but also northern storms can wreak havoc and create weather delays that cascade across the system.
Spear fishing, kayaking, and zip lining across the jungle are popular activities. At Hol Chan Marine Reserve, you can safely snorkel alongside sharks and stingrays. The Belize Barrier Reef is a favorite destination for snorkelers and scuba divers and one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. Experienced divers may want to plunge into the famous Great Blue Hole of Belize, designated one of the top 10 diving sites in the world by famed French explorer Jacques Cousteau. Family-friendly activities include cave tubing down the rivers of the Belizean rainforest, sailing, bird watching the over 600 species of birds, canoeing, horseback riding, or just relaxing on a beautiful sandy beach. Romantic sunset cruises are a wonderful adult option. Travelers can stay at beachfront properties like Banyan Bay Suites and Grand Colony Villas for an authentic Belize experience.

If you’re lucky enough to have a Farmer’s Market in the city you’re visiting – give it a try! They usually have vendors there that really take pride in what they’re making. You can get some beautiful farm-to-table meat and freshly picked vegetables right from the farmer themselves. It makes for a great experience, and gives you some fantastic product to eat.

Still, this is a perfect time of year to find bargains, as the full-on busy season doesn't begin until mid December. You might have to stay a few blocks off the main tourist strip if you are looking for something in a backpacker price range, but fortunately there are still plenty of very cheap restaurants and bars all over the city if you scan the menus carefully.

However, I would probably recommend staying closer to the US, unless you are really interested in the Asian cultures or that kind of experience. If you are mainly just interested in family time and a fairly easy holiday for all, and you aren’t specifically interested in getting to know an Asian culture and its food, I think I’d stay in the Americas.

If you are looking for beach weather in December then most of your list won’t work, and several of them are only on rivers. Starting from Kolkata you have many good choices that are much closer to you than anywhere in Europe or the Canary Islands, or the Caribbean for that matter. In fact, I’m a bit confused by your list because there are so many different types of places on it, many that aren’t warm or on beaches.
The hotel rates all over Goa are highest in December and January, but in Anjuna or Vagator they still start at around £10 per night for a private room with ensuite. The cheap places are quite shabby, so it might be worth spending more. Vagator has an amazing beach, but it’s often filled with Russians these days. Anjuna is famous for its beach raves and music scene, but I’ve honestly heard nice things about many other beach areas in Goa.
Late October (when the rains end) through February is an exceptional time to visit the northern part of the country, from Sukhothai through Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. The King’s Birthday, on December 5, ushers in the festive season (Christmas and New Year’s certainly aren’t traditional holidays here, but many Thais celebrate them anyway) and cooler, less humid weather. In general, the beaches are blissful from the end of December through March. Mid-November through January see the lowest temperatures and least humidity in Bangkok.
Hi Roger, I plan on being in boracay on Nov 6th and am just concerened about the weather. Is the start of Nov too close to the end of the monsoon season ? I don’t mind a bit of rain but ideally want to be able to spend a few hours on the beach with sunshine per day. Looking at pics it seems to be mostly clouded over all the time. Do you get sunny clear skies around that time ? I just can’t seem to get a clear answer online. Any advise would be much appreciated

Take Meal Times in Stride – Although I had intentions of planning keto/low carb meals by researching restaurants beforehand, especially at Disney, that never happened. Did I mention I have four kids? Yea, I don’t have a lot of downtime. Even so, I never had any problem finding foods that I could eat at restaurants. When we were out and about in Orlando, if we were thinking about eating at a restaurant that I hadn’t eaten at before, I looked their menu up online in the car before walking in. As long as they had a keto/low carb option, it was a go. I wasn’t picky. In fact, I ate either a bunless burger or bunless grilled chicken club almost every day at Disney or Universal. When my kids wanted to order pizza one night at our condo, I ate the toppings off with a fork. When they wanted Mexican food, I enjoyed Chicken Fajitas on a bed of lettuce. Whatever my family wanted, I found a way to make it work, and I never felt deprived. We typically ate breakfast at our condo, a late lunch (at Disney or Universal if it was a park day), then a late dinner out. By doing so, we also saved a great deal of money since eating inside the park can be so expensive. Since we stayed off site, the dining plan wasn’t an option.

Orlando’s theme parks are a major draw for families (and big kids, too!), but this iconic experience doesn’t necessarily come cheap. During the pre-Christmas November lull, however, hotels often offer attractive discounted rates, meaning potential savings and – more importantly for the kids – less time spent standing in line. Those looking for a more alternative American adventure should consider the island of Puerto Rico in November. While there’s a chance of rain (but a greater chance of balmy beach-lounging days), the out-of-season discounts are as appetising as the island’s take on Thanksgiving dinner: turkey stuffed with mashed plantain.